Untitled 1
by Gimp666
Summary: Must i really do this again? Rock and forte battle it out, then have to survive with eachother, alone and injured in the woods. Finished... Again
1. The Thrill Of The Hunt

I have the second part of this finished, and the third underway. i'll post the second if/when i get a review of this. @_@;;; but anyway, legalities n such.

Rockman/Megaman and all characters are © to Capcom. Not me, obviously. u-u;;;

I didn't bother going into too much physical detail on Rock or Forte in this, if you don't know who they are and what they look like, why are you reading this? :p jk

**_The Thrill of the Hunt_**

Forte lay on his stomach in his bunker, wearing his full black armor, and cobra-like helmet, deep in thought. His fingers ran gently over Gospel's smooth metal armor as he did so, petting him, so lost in thought he didn't even notice when Gospel got up and wandered off, continuing to pet the air where he had been.   
  
_'Rock..... Next time we meet will be the last... I'm taking you down this time. There's no way you can stop me, not with this new upgrade... '_ Indeed, Forte was definitely superior to what he had been only hours before. Dr. Wily had given him a new personality chip, as well as a few other circuitry pieces which basically gave him complete and utter free will. But seeing as Wily probably just stole the chip off of that twit, Light, he probably didn't even realize this. So naturally, Forte "forgot" to mention it to him. Instead he had made up some bullshit about how it made him feel, and had retreated to his room as quick as he possibly could. Which brought him up to par.   
  
Suddenly, he jumped up. Enough planning! With this new chip of his, surely he would be far superior to Rock. This was his day, and he was going to make sure it was a good one. "You're going down, Rock!" He shouted to no one in particular, threw open his window, and whistled to Gospel.   
  
Gospel morphed itself into a platform for him to stand upon, and he jumped on him. Gospel shot quickly out the window, following Forte's direction.  
  
>>>>>>>  
  
Meanwhile, unknown to Forte, Rock had the exact same chip installed into him that very morning. He now lay lazily on his back in a field filled with wild flowers, wearing a simple white t-shirt and blue shorts with a small print on them, positively delighted. Everything he loved, he could sense even more now. With a slight smile, he closed his eyes, sniffing a pretty white flower, he had just plucked. After a few minutes, his smile faded slightly, and took a sad look to it.  
  
_'This flower is like Forte, kinda.'_ He thought to himself. He knew that somewhere, deep down inside his bitter, spiting rival's core, there had to be **_some_** good. He was sure of it. There had been a few instances, where he had almost let it show. A couple times that should have been the end for him, but... Rock could almost swear that Forte had let him escape. After a few moments more thought, he decided that was simply childish musing, and tossed the flower.   
  
He couldn't help smiling slightly, even his sad emotions were still that much more intense. Letting them take him to new heights, he let himself cry for the younger robot for awhile. _ 'It must be so terrible for him, being Wily's creation.'_ Rock knew that Wily had a terrible temper, and that Forte had a tendency to get on other's nerves. He could only imaging the horrible things Forte must go through on a daily basis. He was surprised that Wily hadn't taken a wrench to his creation yet.  
  
He was so lost in thought, he didn't hear the sound of the approaching Forte and Gospel until Forte _**made**_ himself known.  
  
"**ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!! TODAY WILL BE YOUR LAST!!!!**" He exclaimed, as he hopped off Gospel and fired two deadly accurate shots from his blaster.  
  
Rock had jumped up at the shout, caught off-guard, and quickly called on his armor. This, however, was exactly what Forte had been planning on, and before he could dodge, the two shots hit him, true to their mark.  
  
He cried out in pain as the first shot took out his blaster, rendering it useless, and the second shot took out his only means of escape, and he was left without the ability to teleport. Clenching one hand tightly over his other, a mixture of blood and oil running down it, he stared up at Forte, defenseless and without an escape route. "Forte.. Please... I don't want to fight you..." He sighed slightly.  
  
Forte ignored this, however and simply shook his head. "My, my.. you're getting slow, Rock... heh. And so easy to find, too. A field full of flowers. " He rolled his eyes, sarcastically. Having always been curious, he couldn't help but ask. "Tell me, just what IS the great Rockman doing on his back in a field of flowers, anyway? I haven't put you to 'rest' yet."  
  
Rock frowned at him, thinking desperately of a way out of this. Finally he decided that, for the time being, he would humor the younger robot with his answers, while he bought time to come up with an escape plan. "I got a new chip, and I was just testing it out.." he mumbled.  
  
Slowly the smug, victorious grin Forte wore on his face faded. Rock had the same chip he had been installed with, he was sure of it. This threatened his superiority over him. "Damn you, Rock!!" He hissed. Slowly, that twisted evil grin of his returned to his face, and the flushed, angry, pink colour on his cheeks returned to their normal skin tone under his violet facial stripes.   
  
"Alright, Rock.... Let's play a game.... let's see how fast the great Rockman can run, to escape the end of my blaster.. " he chuckled slightly. "You have a ten second head-start. Then i'm going to hunt you down, like the dog you are." At the word dog, Forte remembered Gospel.  
  
He glanced down at him. "Go home, boy. This is between Rock and I."   
  
Rock stared, horrified, at Forte, while Gospel took to the skies, and shot off quickly. It was just him, and Forte now, and the cover of the forest was at least a 20 second run from where he was. He had to get to shelter, so he could either find Dr. Light or try to fix his blaster himself.  
  
Forte grinned from ear to ear, then began to count. **_ "Ten."  
_**  
Rock shot off as quickly as he could for the cover of the forest.  
  
**_"Nine."   
_**  
Forte made sure he took his time counting, he wanted the little blueberry to reach the trees.   
  
**_"Eight."  
_**  
Rock ran as fast as he could. "I'll never make it!" He panted.  
  
**_"Seven."  
_**  
Forte couldn't help chuckling at the thought. Finding the blueberry in the forest underbrush.   
  
**_"Six."  
_**  
Rock was getting closer and closer to the forest's edge. "I'm almost there!"  
  
**_"Five."  
_**  
_'Yes....'_ Forte thought to himself. Picking the blueberry, then crushing it between his index finger and thumb.  
  
**_"Four."  
_**  
Rock was so close.. so close! But he was almost out of time.  
  
**_"Three."  
_**  
_'Then I'll lick up all the blueberry's juice, as it runs down my fingers. '_  
  
**_"Two."  
_**  
With a leap, Rock threw himself into the underbrush of the forest, then, wasting no time, began to run as fast as he could.  
  
Forte watched Rock escape into the "safety" of the woods, with a grin. _ 'Yes... and it will be so sweet... Like blood. Rock's blood.'_  
  
**_"One."_**  


Next Chapter: **Hide and Seek**


	2. Hide and Seek

A/N- well, I stupidly had my review option set to disable annonymous posting. hehe. sorry, guys. thanks to everyone who informed me of it. .-.; anyway, this was done WAY back when (I'm on part 5. x.x;) but I was too busy/lazy to bother editing it and putting it into html. i'll never do it again. really. 

Hide and Seek  
  
"One."   
  
Rock heard Forte reach the end of his countdown and, over thirty feet into the forest already, he stopped running and dropped to the ground. Carefully, he dragged himself over rocks, tree roots, low growing plants and underbrush, painstakingly slow. If he could just keep Forte from finding him long enough to try and fix his blaster...   
  
Reaching a spot he thought deep enough into the woods, and out of sight to the naked eye, he leaned back against the base of the bush he was hiding in, and began to tend to his blaster. It was a mess, wires frayed, blown apart, and missing. Fresh blood seeped from under synthetic flesh, and oil from his mechanical components mingling and obscuring full view of the damage. With a sigh, he let his arm drop to the side sighing. 'What am I going to do now?'  
  
He'd certainly been in worse situations before, he wasn't about to just roll over and give up. Suddenly, an idea struck him. Perhaps the situation wasn't as bleak as he first thought. If he could set it up right, he might be able to get one more use out of his blaster. If he could get it to spark, just once...... He crawled out of the bushes, leaning back against a nearby tree, and began to cross and uncross wires, a determined look in his eyes.. 'Forte.... I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to... Please don't make me destroy you.'   
  
>>>>>>  
  
Forte, in the meantime, strolled leisurely toward the forest, taking his sweet time. **_ "I'm coming for you, Rock! I'm going to make a painting of my victory over you with your blood, and hang it on my bedroom wall!"_** He all but howled with laughter, sauntering toward the forest edge. He felt no real reason to hurry, after all, Rock was injured, defenseless and a _**long**_ way from home, and he doubted anyone knew where he was. This was just too perfect.  
  
Still, he couldn't help but feel as if it were going to be a hollow victory. Why? This was perfect. He had Rock exactly where he wanted him. Was that why he felt this way? No, that couldn't be it. He was the one who had left Rock that badly off, it wasn't as though he had found him that way. What was it then? Could it be.. guilt? Did he feel bad about attacking Rockman? After the lengthy amount of time they had spent as enemies? Snorting, he shook his head slightly. _ 'Finally have the blueberry where I want him, and I'm questioning my morals.'_  
  
Slowly he stepped into the foliage, pausing momentarily, to listen for even the slightest sound. Hearing nothing, he shouted at the top of his lugs. _**"READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!!!" **_Transforming his hand into his buster, he began to step lightly through the dense forest.   
  
"You know, Rock," he rambled on as he wandered through the forest, following any sound he heard, "I'm glad it's come to this, that it's going to end here. That pathetic whining of yours was really beginning to get on my nerves. _ 'No, Forte, I don't want to fight. Why can't we be friends, Forte?'_ Do you know how irritating that is?? _** I can't stand you!**_"  
  
The last phrase caused a strange feeling to fall over him. Did he really hate Rock that much? He shook his head slightly. _'It's the chip...it's just adjusting... or malfunctioning. Or.... something!'_ he thought. Silently he crept along, the faint odor of Rock's blood was getting stronger. He was close. Very close. No more than 20 feet, upwind. Subconsciously, he licked his lips.  
  
>>>>>  
  
Rock pressed himself up against the base of the tree, breathing so lightly he may as well have been holding his breath. Forte was close, no more than 12 footsteps from him, and closing in. Shutting his eyes tightly, and gritting his teeth, he forced himself to hold his right hand over an open circuitry board on his left arm, tightly pressing bare wires against each other.   
  
He had one chance to do this. He was going to aim for Forte's buster, and try to take it out, to even up the odds. Once that happened, he wasn't sure what to do, but he'd figure that out when the time came. All that mattered at that particular moment was destroying Forte's weapon- His advantage over the injured Rock. Still, he was worried. If Forte dodged it in time, or if he missed, that was it. _ 'He won't.'_ He reassured himself firmly. _ 'Forte doesn't know you can still use your blaster one more time. He's unprepared, and doesn't think you're going to fight back.'   
_   
Heh. Fight back. He didn't want to fight Forte, not really. _ 'I just want to be friends. Why does it have to be this way? Are we fated to destroy each other in someone else's war?' _He bit his lip. _'No! This is my war, **my war!**' _he scolded himself. He had volunteered, right from the beginning. No backing out now. _' I'm sorry, Forte. This is going to hurt me every bit as much as you. You leave me no choice.'_ Slowly he reopened his eyes, which were now almost glaring, and set with determination. _ 'No, Forte... Ready or not, here _**_I_**_ come!'_  
  
>>>>>>  
  
Forte grinned at the tree standing before him. Just ahead of it, he could hear light breathing. He could almost visualize Rock on the other side of the tree, pressed tightly against it's trunk, hugging himself and trying to make no noise, praying the predatory Forte wouldn't find him. He couldn't help but smirk. It was a beautiful sight.   
  
With a deliberate slowness, he charged up his buster, preparing for the glory that lay ahead. This was it. He was finally going to destroy his rival, and enjoy it too. Suddenly a piercing thought struck him. _ 'What happens then?'_ He frowned slightly. The thought was not something he wanted to ponder on, but something he had to consider.  
  
Wily had created him as Rockman's rival. His purpose was to destroy him. What happens after that? A robot of his strength and amount of free will certainly wouldn't be left around. Wily might be careless, but not that much so. After all, he might suddenly decide to break the three rules of robotics, and betray Wily. He hated the man to begin with. He knew he was Wily's greatest creation, something that almost guaranteed his life for the time being, but that nagging feeling persisted in the back of his mind. Would he be destroyed for doing as he was built to do?  
  
_ 'Stop thinking about it!!'_ He ordered himself. _ 'Just finish powering up, and destroy that self-righteous little blue prick! Worry about that later!'_ Taking a deep breath, he ran around to the other side of the tree, buster raised. "_**HA!**_"   
  
No one was there. "Damnit... slippery little....." He looked around, scowling, and straining to hear even the slightest sound.  
  
>>>>>  
  
Rock, meanwhile, crouched low in the bushes, almost directly behind Forte. His hand over his mouth, he masked his panting. He couldn't believe it. He'd lost his edge at the last second. _ 'Forte..'_   
  
He closed his eyes, not daring to move. _ 'What do I do now?'_ He thought. A sudden shuffle caught his attention, and he opened his eyes quickly, casting his glance upward, right into the end of Forte's blaster.   
  
Forte laughed a chilling, almost maniacal laugh. "Gotcha."  
  
Previous Chapter: **The Thrill of the Hunt** | Next Chapter: **Predator turned Prey**


	3. predator turned prey

A/N- Little early to be posting the next part, but I'm coming up to the weekend, when I work 14+ hrs a day, so it was either now or monday. I had to shorten the part up a bit, because I didn't have time to edit up the last bit. It will be at the beginning of the next part, however. Besides, it looks better there, anyway. @_@;; anyway, enjoy and stuff. sorry it sucks.. u.u *revels in the fact that she's making people waste valuable seconds of their lives reading this terrible crap.* There WILL be a good fighting scene w/ Rock and Forte eventually, but not for a bit. What you get in this chapter, is a skeezy wanna-be semi fight. my apologies. lol.

**Predator Turned Prey**

"Gotcha!" 

Forte towered over Rock, neo-buster aimed right at his prey's face. This was it! He dug his heels into the ground, bracing for the force of his charged weapon, and fired. Rock jumped up quickly, flipping mid-air and landing behind Forte lightly, however, and all his shot did was destroy the damned overgrown plant he had been hiding under.

Forte roared in anger, and spun around quickly.

Then suddenly... the sound of a buster.  
  
.......... 

A buster? 

Not his. 

.........   
  
Forte stared blankly at Rock, whose face was twisted in horror. His mouth was wide open, he was still practically shrieking. He continued to stare at Rock, confused. He didn't feel right. Something was wrong. There was something seriously wrong with the situation. Slowly his gaze drifted down to Rock's arm, and the apparent reason for Rock's mad howling became known. He had tried to switch his hand into his buster, which had only sunk in half way. His hand was now a bloody, mutilated mess. He must have shot it. 

But that doesn't explain this feeling. 

Then he noticed the excess blood, spattered across Rock's face, chest and arms. It was impossible for so much to have come from his hand. Rock had shot something else. Rock had shot.... him. Then his shrieking became more clear, more haunting, and he made out words. 

"_**Why did you turn around so fast?!**_" Rock screamed, tears marring his boyish face. 

Slowly, as if under water, Forte tilted his head downward, and saw what was probably the other reason Rock was so hysterical. A huge section of Forte's chest had been practically blown apart from the blast. He was damaged there beyond belief. 

"**_I was only aiming for your weapon!! You spun right into it!!! _**"**_  
_**   
Then the pain hit him, like a wave, intensifying as the seconds went by. "You... shot.... me?" he uttered, coughing up blood. 

Rock continued to cry and yell, but Forte couldn't make sense of it, his world beginning to fade into darkness. 

"..... I'll kill you..." Without so much as another word, his body collapsed on him, and he fell into a crumpled heap. 

_**"FORTE!!!"**_  
  
>>>>>  
  
Rock stared down in horror at the mass that was Forte. Around him, spreading rapidly, was a pool of red, black oil swimming through it in small traces here and there.   
  
_ 'What... What have I done?'_ He had only meant to disarm Forte, not _**kill**_ him. Leaning back against the safety of the bush he had been hiding behind, cradling his destroyed hand, he began to sob brokenly, regretting instantly the new chip that had been put in him. What was he supposed to do now? Who knew how long it would take someone to find them? Rock would be fine, his body already working toward healing that smoldering bleeding mess that had once been his hand, but he was still no closer to home. Until then, he was left alone and helpless in some nameless forest, with the lifeless Forte at his feet.  
  
After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and tried to pull himself together. He stared down at Forte. _ 'He looks completely destroyed, but...'_ He reached out slowly toward his fallen foe, hope rising high within him. With a gentle shove, he rolled him over onto his back. "Please don't be dead... Forte, I-" He stopped dead, face paling slightly upon the sight which met him.  
  
Forte lay prone in front of Rock, eyes shut tightly in pain, teeth gnashed together. Rock almost jumped back in shock. Not only was Forte alive, he was still conscious! Rock stared down at him silently, face marked with pity. The pain Forte was in must be unbearable.  
  
"Forte.. Forte!" Rock yelled, shaking him slightly. No response. _ 'I guess he's in shock..'_ He thought, then began to rummage quickly through Forte's possessions, looking for something he could use to do some makeshift repairs on him quickly. "Hang on, Forte. I'll take care of you."  
  
>>>>>  
  
Forte lay there, as still as he could manage, to avoid straining his already wounded body. He had heard Rock calling him, but had simply ignored him._ 'Please let me die..'_ he thought to himself. _ 'I won't be able to bear it.. Defeated this way, then having to live afterward.' _ He panted softly, chest seizing with each breath. The pain was almost too much to stand, yet he said nothing, refusing to so much as cry out. 

He hoped silently that his blood, and other synthetic vital fluids would drain out of him, and he would shut down and die. He hoped for a lot of things. That he had no soul, because he knew wherever it went after he died, it wasn't going to be anywhere nice, after all he had been made to do. He almost smirked, as a thought border lining on apostasy filled his mind. That Rockman would defeat Wily. _'I'm far more powerful and cunning than that fool, Wily. Why should he be the one to defeat Rockman? He doesn't deserve it...' _

A horror filled thought stuck him. Gospel. His faithful companion. His other half. What was going to happen to him? "G.. Gos.." He gasped out, then gave up, simply praying that someone would care of him, take him under his wing.  
  
As his thoughts deepened, so did that deliciously warm feeling that slowly pervaded through his exhausted mind, tempting him to give in to it. At first, he fought it, struggling to overcome it, to keep his senses sharp, but eventually, as the minutes wore on, he began to give in, everything fading in a mix of sound and colour, and finally his mind drowned in the waves of exhaustion that had swept in, carrying him away with them.  
  
>>>>>  
  
"Nope... Not this... Found it!" Rock exclaimed, pulling a flat, small, basic repair kit out of a hidden crevice in Forte's armor, stuck to the inside of the plate. He'd figured Wily wouldn't leave him dependent on his auto-repair alone. "Okay, Forte, I'm going to..... " He stared down at Forte.   
  
Forte lay still, expression vacant, face pale and almost porcelain. At first glance, one might think he had shut down, but he was still breathing through his armor. "The pain must have been too much." He was almost glad Forte was out. This wouldn't have been too pleasant for him. He wiped some of the blood that had been trailing out the sides of his mouth away, then set to work preparing Forte for the "surgery".  
  
As quickly and gently as he could, Rock removed Forte's chest plate, followed by his guard, then his boots, and gauntlets, the one holding his neo-buster within first. Rock was more trusting of people than he probably should be, but he wasn't stupid. Even after repairing him, Forte was likely to rip him limb from limb if given the opportunity.   
  
He sighed loudly at how long it was taking him to do everything, with the condition of his hand. He decided that as soon as he was through with the more dangerous wounds requiring immediate repair, he would do what he could for his hand next, before continuing. It would make it easier for him to work on Forte that way. Gently, he unzipped Forte's skintight body suit, pulling it off him carefully, then removed his helmet for comfort.  
  
He stared open-mouthed at him in shock. He had never seen Forte in the 'flesh' before, and was taken aback slightly. Forte was quite a work of art, he had to admit. His body was tight, yet fit to a smaller frame than what his armor deceived. He was tall, yet graceful, with an unexplainable elegance. Pale skin sculpted every aspect of his build, so perfect he was almost doll-like. His face had a dark seriousness to it. Long purple streaks trailing from under his eyes meeting up under his chin only deepened his mature, serious look, and caused him to look almost menacing.   
  
Yet, at the moment, there was a trace of helplessness to him, the way he lay sprawled so carelessly, face lax... and so pale... Snapping back to attention, Rock hurried to take care of Forte's wounds.  
  
"Please let me do this right.. please, please.." He had some skill with circuitry of this sort, but hardly enough to deal with something this serious. However, what choice did he have? 

"You should be glad you're unconscious...." He sighed, then got down to business, trying to work his way through circuitry, wires, synthetic veins and other body parts leaking blood.   
  
Previous Chapter: **Hide And Seek** | Next Chapter: **Caged Like an Animal**


	4. Caged Like an Animal

A/N: I don't like this part. .-.; it's short, and skeezy. I may alter this a little before I post up the next part. Sorry it's so damned short, but the rest of the dream sequence just didn't fit in here. Which sucks, because I liked it. Oh well, I have a place I can fit it into later on. Anyway, feel free to diss this chapter, It's far from my best work. @_o; 

Oh yes, if you're going to the Canadian anime expo from Aug 23-35th, and u want someone to chill with, e-mail me at: malakese@yahoo.com Now read, and waste minutes of your precious little lives! 

Caged Like an Animal 

_Silently, Forte slinked into Wily's lab, hidden deep within Skull Fortress, in dire need of repairs. His shoulder armor was cracked and missing in places, exposed circuitry underneath synthetic flesh blown open. Fragments of said armor were embedded deep in his left side, the soft grey material of his jumpsuit having left him vulnerable. Blood seeped lazily around the wounds._

_He approached Wily slowly, stepping silently up from behind. Slowly, with much force, he managed to stand up straight, at his full height. "Dr. Wily, Rockman has-" Within seconds, Wily was on his feet, chair clattering to the floor, instantly silencing the ebony armored Forte._

_"No need to tell me what I already know, Forte!" he hissed. "You've failed me... You've all failed me! But you... You've had more chances than you deserve!" His eyes wild, he grabbed ahold of a nearby wrench. "Armor down, you useless piece of scrap metal! I had such high hopes for you, Forte. The way I built you, you should be invincible! You were my greatest..." He trailed off with an agitated sigh._

_Forte did as he was told, almost timid looking, a very uncharacteristic thing for him. The old man sure was pissed this time. He couldn't believe Wily was actually going to repair him again after that last screw-up. sighing slightly, he stood still as stone, face and eyes downcast. Suddenly something struck him, hard, bruising his face by his ear, nearly denting the metal which lay underneath._

_Forte suppressed a howl, gritting his teeth, knocked so hard from the blow he almost lost his footing. Recovering quickly, he shot a glance upward._

_Wily stood over him, glaring, wrench in hand. Now Forte understood what was going on. Wily wasn't going to repair him, he was going to beat him, then probably dismantle him. "Wait!" He exclaimed, dodging another swing. "You can't destroy me like this! Give me a-" He jumped back. "-nother chance!"_

_**"Stand still, damnit!" ** Wily roared, enraged. He grabbed Forte by his already damaged arm and threw him in the direction of the far wall of the room. "Stand there, and don't you dare move!"_

_Again, Forte did as he was told, pressing his cheek lightly to the smooth cold surface of the wall, glaring ahead at nothing as Wily began to tear into his backside with the wrench, bruising, cutting, ripping, denting........ _

**_'Damn you Rock.... Damn you.... this is all your fault... Your fault....'_**

....................... 

...................... 

...................... 

".... your fault..." 

Suddenly he opened his eyes, willing himself to consciousness. The searing pain was worse than ever, boring into every bit of his body. But it wasn't the same. The pain in his back had dulled, only to be replaced by a sharper, angrier pain in his chest. And he wasn't in Skull Fortress. Where was he? His lavender wisps stroked his cheek softly as they danced in the light breeze. He was outside somewhere...  
  
Every inch of him hurt, throbbing heavily. His face twisted slightly into a wry smile. The pain made it obvious that he hadn't been blasted to Hell.   
  
He shut his eyes lightly, gathering his bearings. If he wasn't at the fortress. He was outside somewhere. Why? Where? Obviously Wily hadn't put him there. Instead of cool metal brushing along his fingertips, he felt soft material, and Wily was hardly the fuzzy comfort blanket type. That ruled that out. In fact, it ruled out just about everyone he knew who was capable of helping him at that moment. Except.... 

Suddenly it all came back to him. Their fight. 

_'He wouldn't...'  
_   
He did have a blanket with him, he was having a picnic.  
  
_ '..... Rock?'_  
  
He tore his eyes open quickly, but didn't move. He found himself facing a small back, covered with a white t-shirt, flexing ever so slightly as it's owner slept soundlessly. 

Forte narrowed his eyes. _'Rock...'_ So it _**was**_ him. 

He was out of armor, with his damaged hand bandaged. _ 'A little trusting, are we?'_ He thought, as he stared at his small sleeping form, vulnerable as he was.   
  
He made a grab for Rock, a malicious gleam in his eyes when suddenly a deep, sharp pain hit him like a train. He clutched at his chest, and almost cried out, the pain intensifying. He resisted the urge to tear at the bandages which already had traces of blood seeping through the white gauze. Shaking slightly, he forced himself to abort his plans for the time being, and lay back down quietly, glaring. 

Mumbling incoherently, Rock rolled over, facing Forte and slept on, the faintest of smiles touching his lips. This caused a small rage to boil within Forte. 

'_How dare he lay there so peacefully when... when...'_ He shook his head slightly. Of course Rock was sleeping so calmly, so relaxed. _ 'He has nothing to worry about.. I can't even move..'_ He reached down to his chest, touching the white gauze gently. 

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he lay there, glowering. He was at Rock's mercy now, his unshackled prisoner. Closing his eyes and sighing slightly, he decided to go along with it for now. _ 'I'll let him ** 'save'** me for now. Then....'_ Forte grinned broadly, showing off his fanged teeth, as a plan begin to brew within his head. _'I have one last chance against you, and I'm going to make it good. Rock, I'll make you sorry you let me live.' _

Previous Chapter: **Predator Turned Prey** | Next Chapter: **Author is too Lazy to Come up with a R****eal Title**


	5. Author Is Too Lasy to Come up With a Rea...

A/N- mwahahaha.. despite a trip to the emergency room, and evil stomach pains, I still managed to push this thing out. hooray! Let's see. I'd say there are another 2-3 chapters to go before this thing's done. you can begin rejoicing now. lol. After this, who knows? Oh, and once again, I apologize for this chapter's shortness.

To the people who have reviewed this story, especially those who have reviewed every chapter: thank you. I don't think i would have kept up with this as much as i have if it hadn't been for you guys.

On with the show, as they say.

**Author is too Lazy to Come up with a Real Title**

Rock hummed sweetly to himself as he fed the fire he was cooking food over. It had nearly gone out after he'd fallen asleep, earlier, and had required immediate attention. The cheery crackling of firewood, and Rock's cheery tune kept his mind from wandering to the real reason he was there. Forte.. 

Forte slept, covered up in half of the blanket Rock had brought with him, flat on his back, arms resting neatly at his sides, as though he were dead. His face was stone, devoid of emotion, as it normally was. In fact, it seemed that the only face Forte was capable of was that blank, apathetic mask, that smug grin of his, or anger. _ 'I wonder if he ever really smiles..'_ Rock pondered to himself.  
  
He sighed slightly, giving him a worried look-over. He had obviously awakened sometime during the night, while Rock had let sleep lure him from his guard. His bandages were crusted with dry blood, showing he must have really strained himself at one point, probably trying to get up. "Guess I'll have to re-bandage him later." Rock murmured to himself.   
  
Continuing to hum his little song, Rock tended to some things left over from his little picnic earlier, leaves, berries and roots he was boiling in his helmet, which surprisingly made a good cauldron. Unfortunately, his concoction itself was another story.

Opening up his last energy drink, he dumped its contents into the "pot", and gave it a final stir. _ 'This'll either help him heal up a bit, or kill him.'_ He thought with a sigh. Oh well. He could only do so much with the little supplies he had.  
  
He tensed suddenly, slowing his stirring as he heard a soft noise between a groan and a sigh. 

Forte.   
  
Rock turned slightly, flashing him the friendliest smile he could conjure up. "Oh! You're awake. I hope you're feeling a little better.." He turned back to his soup, pretending he didn't notice the venomous glare Forte had shot him in response to his greeting. " I did my best to fix you up, but I was kinda worried you wouldn't make it for awhile there."  
  
Forte simply scowled at him and leaned up, slowly and carefully, refusing to show the immense pain he was in. Slowly he curled his hand into a weak fist, staring Rock down, hatefully. Without warning, he threw himself forward at Rock, making it nearly a foot before he fell to the ground, gasping and grinding his teeth in agonizing pain. His hand gripped his bandages tightly, and he placed his free hand on the side of his head pulling subconsciously at his hair, vertiginous.  
  
Rock jumped up and was immediately at his side. "_**Forte!!!**_ Are you--"  
  
Forte's hand shot out, gripping Rock's wrist in a grip that was shaky, yet steely enough to let Rock know he was pressing his luck.   
  
Rock backed off slightly, giving Forte a little room. "You really shouldn't push yourself like this when you're so badly off..." He glanced into Forte's eyes which all but screamed **'I'll kill you.'** Without another word, he slinked back over to the fire, quietly, and poured some of the stew, if it could be called that, he had made into the can from the energy drink. "Here.. take it."  
  
Forte ignored Rock's extended hand, working quickly at regaining his composure, prepared to attack again, to make Rock suffer for the humiliation he had caused him.  
  
Rock frowned slightly. This wasn't going good. "c'mon... have some..." 

Forte growled lowly, almost resembling Gospel for a moment.

"Please? It's good..."

Forte simply spat at him.

Rock sighed in agitation. Things were starting to look pretty bleak. Then an idea struck him. "Let me take care of you, and when you're better, I promise you a showdown the likes of which you've never seen!" He exclaimed, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible.  
  
The smallest grin began to pull at the sides of Forte's mouth, and he grabbed the can from Rock's hands, quickly starting in on it.   
  
This tore slightly at Rock. He hated fighting, he wanted to be Forte's friend... And this was the only way for him to help him? To promise him a fight to the death? If only he knew how he felt, how badly he was tearing him up on the inside. He bit his lip slightly, lost slightly in thought.  
  
His train of thought was broken, however when Forte finally spoke up for the first time since he had awakened.  
  
"Your cooking sucks!"  
  
Rock couldn't help but crack a small smile. _ 'Well... It's a start.'_  
  
>>>>>  
  
Forte leaned back against the thick trunk of a tree, a few feet from the smoldering fire. He felt sluggish, drowsy. He needed to rest again soon, but he didn't want to let his guard down around Rock. After all, he WAS his enemy. He wasn't about to let Rock forget it, either. When he had finished his soup, (which wasn't altogether that terrible, albeit suspiciously familiar to that antifreeze Wily had made him drink after he'd chased Rock through a few snow banks once. He'd just wanted to piss Rock off) he'd made sure to throw in one last insult before he finished and chucked the can at Rock's head. " Here's your tip!!" He'd added in with a sneer.  
  
He couldn't help but grin at the memory of a twitching Rock forcing a smile as he picked the can back up calmly, gritting his teeth and rubbing his head as casually as he could manage. 

Now Rock was back by the fire, trying to fix some of the damage Forte had done to him by the fire's light. 

"Blues? Can you hear me? Blues?" Rock called into the piece of equipment he was working on. 

Forte growled. Obviously he was working on re-establishing communication. _' He's trying to leave... He's trying to escape, and avoid our....'_ Quickly Forte grabbed a nearby stone and threw it at Rock, clocking him in the head with it. "You can phone home _**after**_ we have our fight!" He hissed at him. 

Rock frowned slightly, having had enough of Forte's bad attitude. "Now listen here! If we don't get some help, we both might as well just roll over and di-" 

Suddenly Forte was in front of him, on his knees. His fingers dug roughly into his shoulders as he glared down at him, eyes wild in fury. "_**NO!**_ Now you listen _**here**_!" He dug his fingers deeper still into Rock's small, unprotected shoulders, bruising them. "I won't let you escape me again!! If you get away....." He hunched over, giving in to the sharp, searing pains tearing at his chest, releasing his grip on Rock. He let his eyes close, fading into what was becoming an all too familiar darkness. 

Rock sat quietly for a few minutes, holding the form resting limply against him. Gently, he eased Forte's naked form onto the ground, covering him with the blanket he'd been using earlier. Curling up next to him, he stared down at the tele-communicator he'd been working at, which had gone out with his teleportation device. 

...ock? *fzz* an you..... me? 

Rock blinked slightly, recognizing his brother's voice breaking up over the communicator. 

am.........ming in? are you th*bzz*.... 

It was working. He could get help. 

... 's Blues! Ro- 

Rock reached down slowly and pulled out one of the wire's he'd just painstakingly reattached. _' Sorry, brother.' _Sighing slightly, he closed his eyes, to get some well deserved rest, and let his auto repair finish healing his hand. As he began to drift off, he whispered one last thing before falling into a deep sleep, filled with nightmares. 

_**"..... please don't let me get away..."**_

Previous Chapter: **Caged like an Animal** | Next Chapter: **Countdown**


	6. Countdown

A/N- Ahhh!!!! Sorry for taking so long to push this part out! I had some serious writer's block going on here! 

The first part of this is the other half of Forte's original dream sequence, with a bit of the middle removed. It was just far too long to use all at once, so I divided it this way. I don't know if it necessarily worked, but I kind of liked it at the time. Now I am leery. We are coming to a closing here, with two more chapters left. Before I post the next chapter, I want to hear some opinions on something here. Consider it a mini-poll. A certain scene in the next part is extremely graphic ( pure hentai fun. lol), far more graphic than anything i've read in the NC/17 section as of now. So my question is this. Should I: 

a.) Boost the rating up to NC/17 and post the entire, uncensored scene

b) Keep the fic at the R level it's at now, edit the next part a tad, and keep it more mainstream for those who don't want to read something quite as graphic as that, and make a seperate copy of the chapter in the NC/17 section for those who'd like to read the more hardcore version.

c) Just put up the censored version, and e-mail the uncensored chapter to whoever feels like reading it in full

Give me your thoughts on this, okay guys??

**Countdown**

_Forte grit his teeth, the beating was unending. Every time that wrench drew back, it was only to strike him again, adding further to the damage Rock had already caused. **'What in the hell are you doing, old man?'** he thought, resting his cheek against the wall, face refusing to show what his aching body was telling him._

_Finally, after what seemed like forever, he heard the wrench clatter to the ground, and Wily's forearm rested itself against Forte's back, it's owner's rage cooled, to be replaced by exhaustion brought on by the man's aging body. He stayed that way for a few minutes, panting. Finally, Forte spoke, seeing he would have to be the one to break the silence._

_**"Are you finished?"** He asked calmly, but with a hidden shakiness in his voice. Slowly, he turned around to face Wily, both faces a mirror of the same irritation. **"You damned old man, you dented me."** Gripping his shoulder lightly, he helped the tired, aging man over to a spare repair table. **"You're getting weaker. You're not dying or something, are you?"** _

_Wily took a seat on the repair table, hunched over slightly, rubbing his forehead. **"No, Forte." **He grumbled, annoyed. **"Though I'm likely to be dead by the time you manage to beat Rockman. I'm getting... old. Why can't you destroy him? I create you with one simple task, and you've failed at it every time! I can't possibly take over until-"**_

_Forte shot him a nasty glare. **" He's just been lucky. I'm your greatest creation, Wily. Have more faith in me."**_

_At that, Wily grabbed him by his lavender locks, and dragged him, still sitting, over to a table on the other side of the room, shoving his face right up to the strange incomplete bioroid he had been working on lately. At least, he **thought** it was a bioroid. _

_"**Do you see this?"** He barked, holding Forte so close to his new project, their foreheads touched._

_Forte nodded numbly, staring down into those cold blank eyes, staring up at nothing, waiting to be activated. **"Yeah, I see it. Your taste in women frightens me.."** _

_**"HE is my greatest creation!! Not you! Not anymore!"** He growled, releasing his hold on Forte. He walked back over to the other repair table, and began pulling out tools. **"I'll give you one last chance, Forte. God knows why, but I will. You fail me, and I'll be using you for spare parts, got it? Come back with Rock's head, or come back for disassembly. I created you, and I'll destroy you just as fast."**_

_Forte got up silently, nodding. He knew better than to say anything. This time the old man was serious. Now wasn't the time to press his luck. He cast a glance down at the table once more, before walking over to Wily. He couldn't help but feel impressed, despite his comment. **'So lifelike...'**_

_Not a word was spoken between the two as Wily began to repair the damage Rock had done to Forte in their battle. Forte stared on at his replacement, trying not to feel every twist of a screw, every pull on a wire, focusing instead on those blank, fierce blue eyes._

_**'.... I've been replaced. I'm obsolete... '**_

_He brought his attention back to Wily, who was opening up his chest cavity. Raising an eye slightly, he inquired, **"What are you doing?"** For a fleeting moment, panic struck him. The old fool had changed his mind! He was going to disassemble him!_

_**"Upgrade." **Wily explained, reaching for one of Forte's chips, to switch it with one he had in his hand. **"New updated chip. I hope it helps you. Don't fail me again."**_

_Forte narrowed his eyes, which gleamed an angry gold. **"I won't lose!!"**_

_Then everything went black as his chip was pulled out._

_****_

Forte groaned softly. "... I _**have**_ to stop waking up this way... Damned dreaming state.. " he grumbled. Leaving his eyes shut, he lay there quietly, scanning over his body. His chest was healing up nicely. A few days, tops, and he'd be completely recovered. Not bad for having just been on the brink of death. Good old Wily. At least, he _**had **_been good old Wily, until he'd threatened Forte those few days past. _'That damned old man... Who does he think he is??' _He scowled darkly. _'Thinking he can replace me that way. I'll show him who's the greater creation.' _

".... Forte?" A soft voice cut into his thoughts.

He stiffened slightly. Rock's hand lay on his back. Rock was touching him, trying to get his attention. He opened his eyes, but continued to lay there, looking ahead. "... What?"

"Your back." The hand continued to caress Forte's synthetic flesh gently, each finger seeking out more dents, gashes, and bruises. 

"What about it?" He asked. He was starting to get uncomfortable, heat brightening his face slightly. '_His hands are so deft..'_

"It's dented. And damaged. " The hand ran itself over small dents in the metal under his flesh.

"Heh. Hardly." Forte grumbled, sitting up slightly. He'd had enough of Rock feeling him up for the time being.

Rock sat up as well. "When'd you get those?" He asked, thinking back to all the fights he'd recently had with Forte. Had he done such a horrible thing to him?

Forte shrugged slightly, glancing at Rock. " I had a bad run in with a wrench." he stated, grabbing Rock's nearly healed hand.

Rock just shook his head. "I'm not surprised. I always knew Wily would take a wrench to you sooner or later. That's just not how I expected." he exclaimed. 

Forte let out something similar to a growl, and pulled Rock's hand closer, grabbing a knife Rock had used on him, and used it to cut his wrist wide open, grinning when he heard him cry out. 

"What are you **_doing?!_**" He cried, struggling to get free. 

Forte simply held him in that iron grip, pulling out some wires. "I'm fixing your buster. I want my fight. Soon. I'm almost healed."

Rock squeezed his eyes close, and waited in silence.

Rock watched in fascinated silence as Forte, who's steely grip he was for now held captive to crossed wire with wire, pulling others apart, taking millimetres off here and there, and tied ends off. It was easy to tell Forte knew what he was doing. It made sense, he guessed, for someone obsessed with killing him to know how to get a weapon back online. Still, it was haunting. He went about his work so fast, and with such accuracy and precision for the primitive tools he was using. 

It seemed to him that only minutes had gone by before Forte was tucking the last wires back under his skin, but in actuality, the sun had almost set. It must have been over an hour. _'Have I been watching him that closely, not to notice?'_

"Try it." Forte stated, leaning back against a thick tree trunk, waiting. 

Rock nodded slightly, and recalled his armor. "Okay." With a simple command, Rock's hand retracted to become his blaster, even faster than it had before it was damaged. He stared down at it, surprised. "It works better than before...."

Forte rolled his eyes. "Light spent too much time drilling peace into you, and not enough time perfecting his weapon." His eyes had a strange gleam in them, and he pored over Rock, watching him. 

Rock felt his cheeks turn pink slightly. That gaze was disturbing to him. "Well... Uh... Thanks, I guess.."

Forte grinned, letting his lip slide back from his fanged teeth. "No, try it. Use it. Better make sure it works."

Rock sighed slightly. ".... Alright. Stand back, then."

Forte leaned back against the tree, watching Rock take stance and fire, again, and again. There was something exciting about the way Rock's light, powerless looking body snapped every time he did so, with so much hidden power. He couldn't help but feel turned on by it. 

Above him, hidden deep within the foliage of the tree's top, sat another figure, this one watching Rock with worry. He knew Forte knew he was there, but neither said anything for several long moments. 

Finally, Forte spoke up. "He's mine, for now. We're going to have our final battle... tomorrow... After that, feel free to come pick up the pieces."

"I will.... But Rock won't lose." The figure stated, dropping to the ground and standing next to Forte, facing the other direction. "Rock could never lose to you." Silently, the figure walked into the forest, fading into it.

Forte gripped the thick tree branch he had been hanging onto for support so tightly it snapped under the pressure. 

"Damn you, Blues! I'll kill him!"

However, even as he said it, a part of him doubted it.

Previous Chapter: **Author is too Lazy to Come up with a Real Title | **Next Chapter: ** Rematch**


	7. Rematch

A/N mwahahaha... there is a verily uncensored version of this XD;;; if u wanna read it, e-mail me @ gimperz666@yahoo.ca or just leave a review with your e-mail addy. 

**Rematch**

_'I don't think I can fight you again. I don't think I can stand it..'_

Rock lay next to Forte quietly, staring at the bioroid's face as he slept silently. A stray strand of hair trailed lazily down his lax face, but Rock didn't dare move it, for fear of waking Forte, and unleashing his wrath prematurely. So instead, he simply stared, drinking in every detail of his foe's face. It was devoid of emotion now, but earlier... Earlier. He sighed slightly, thinking back. Those looks Forte had kept giving him. That shark-like grin.  
  
_ ** "No, try it. Use it. Better make sure it works."**_

The way Forte leaned back and watched his every move, casually and thoroughly, not disturbed in the least over the fact he was completely naked. Now that he thought about it, Forte had been walking around, unclothed, since Rock had stripped him down. Wasn't he embarrassed?

_ ** "Light spent too much time drilling peace into you, and not enough time perfecting his weapon."**_

_' Is that what you think of us? We're just weapons?' _He thought, sitting up slightly. Poor Forte. Wily probably treated him like some kind of a weapon or toy. _'Don't you realize how alive you are?'_ His cheeks tinted pink, as he realized his gaze had wandered to Forte's body. No matter how hard he fought it, he was attracted to Forte. _'Why do we have to fight? I don't want to fight you... I-'_

The slightest shuffle brought him back to full attention, and his head snapped up quickly. Forte stared back at him, expressionless. He lay still, silently. Rock felt his face flush. He'd been caught. Forte had caught him checking him out. He waited, unmoving as well, for hell to break loose. Several minutes passed, neither speaking nor moving. Finally, Forte broke the staring match, gazing into the fire and smirking slightly. His body language screamed _"I've caught you."_ But instead of accusing Rock of some perversion, he whispered harshly.

"Study me all you'd like. You'll still lose. Come morning, Rock, you die." He closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. His cheeks had a slight colouring to them, however.

Rock shifted away quickly, and instead faced the fire. Forte had obviously known what he was doing. Yet he'd said nothing. _'I'm surprised he didn't tear me apart..'_ He sighed slightly. _'I think I might....'_ He blushed deeper at the thought, and put a hand on his blazing cheek.

A howl in the distance brought an almost haunting feeling to his thoughts. It didn't matter how he felt. There was no way they could ever work out, not in a million years. They were bitter enemies. Not to mention Forte had never shown even the slightest interest in him. 

The wolf's howl drew in closer, interrupting his thoughts, and recognition struck him. He knew that howl. He had just enough time to recall his armor before he was struck full force by something strong, heavy, and lined with teeth. 

The creature's strong teeth tore into the armor protecting his leg, but didn't break through completely. Instead, it created an almost unbreakable hold. The creature shook him violently about, then reared it's head, tossing Rock into the air like a rag doll. 

Rock cried out the most intelligible thing he could, as he was thrown several feet. "_**Aaaaaarrrgh!!!**_"

"_**Gospel!!!!**_" He could hear Forte happily shout to the creature, below. Jumping up, he caught Rock before he hit the ground, then stood there, stroking Gospel lovingly with his free hand.

Gospel hopped to and fro, overjoyed, having finally found his master. He sniffed casually at Rock's slightly chewed armor, then growled throatedly.

Rock hung quietly in Forte's grip, staring down at the purple support unit. He rested his head against Forte's chest, fingers gripping Forte's shoulders tightly. 

"You okay?"

"Yeah.."

"Good. Now let go." That said, Forte dropped him, then bent down to pet Gospel more thoroughly, murmuring to him affectionately. On his face was a genuine smile. Not that smug grin, not that deep frown, a smile. 

_'You really **do** smile!' _He thought, watching them. After a moment, his own smile faded slightly, as a thought donned on him. With Gospel there, Rock didn't stand a chance. _'I'm as good as gone, come tomorrow.'_

Forte leaned back, head resting on Gospel like a pillow, poking at the dwindling fire with a stick. "I'm sorry, boy. I didn't mean to run off on you for so long." he whispered, sitting up straight, so he could pet his sleeping pet more. His only friend.

How long _**had**_ it been, since their fight? He wasn't sure. How much time had he spent unconscious? His thoughts wandered over to Rock. _'He could have killed me. He should have killed me. Why didn't he?'_

He scowled darkly._' He just wanted to humiliate me. He wanted to make sure I knew he was superior. You're not superior, you little blue bastard. I'll prove it to you soon, in just a few short hours. I'll make you sorry you were ever-'_

"Can't sleep either?" Rock was standing behind him. Forte ignored him, however, and continued to play with the fire. Rock obviously took his silence as an invitation to sit down, because he dropped to his knees behind him, watching him poke at the embers.

Nearly an hour passed that way. The fire slowly died out, Forte continuing to poke at the hot red coals, stick slowly burning away as he did so. Suddenly Rock seized him from behind, pressing his forehead between his shoulder blades gently. He made no move to attack, however, so Forte allowed him to stay that way. 

"Don't make me destroy you, Forte..." He whispered softly. 

Forte stiffened slightly at that. "Don't we sound confident..?" He muttered, turning his head slightly to glance at Rock. He was crying. Big surprise.

"I don't want to fight you..."

"You're weak, Rock." He growled, staring back into the fire, eyes blazing as wildly as the flames. "I'll fight you, and I'll win."

"I can't... I don't want to.. Forte, I.... I'm in-" 

Before Rock got as much as one more word out toward his sentence, Forte had jumped up, turned, and lifted him up by his shirt collar. "_**Don't!!!**_" He shouted, eyes wild with rage. "_**Don't **_ say it, Rock!!" He closed his eyes, regaining control over his madness temporarily, calming down, then continued. " I don't want to hear what you have to say. Get ready to fight."

He dropped him, then walked over to his discarded armor, staring harshly down at it. Silently, he slipped into his tight grey body suit. With a simple mental command, his armor appeared over it. _**"Let's go."**_

Rock stood, half crouching, awaiting Forte's first attack. Normally Forte would charge straight at him right away, lunging at him, eyes feral. This time was different, however. Forte simply stood there, staring at him, reading him, to see what he was going to do. This time he was using his head. This made him extremely nervous.

He still had a faint blush across his nose and cheeks. Forte's rejection still bore down heavily upon him. He hadn't expected him to react so badly. He hadn't even let him get the whole sentence out before he all but attacked him. And now they were probably going to kill each other.

_'At least he left Gospel out of it.' _He thought, as he let his gaze shift, for a fraction of a second to the wolf, who lay quietly under a shady bush, watching his master intently. He still remembered Forte's words.

_**'I won't use him in this fight, but if you defeat me, if you somehow manage to destroy me... Leave Gospel out of this. Don't you touch him.'**_

He sighed slightly. They couldn't just stand there the whole day.One of them would have to move. Slowly Rock began to charge his buster. Clenching his teeth, he took aim and fired at his head. There were no disarming shots this time, this was a fight to the death. As soon as he did so, Forte jumped smooth and gracefully over it, flipping and trying to kick Rock in the face as he landed.

Rock slid, narrowly avoiding it, then brought himself up to his feet and spun around on his heel, turning to face Forte. Stretching his arm back, he threw a hard punch at Forte's gut, which Forte caught easily in his hand. 

Gripping Rock's hand tightly so he couldn't break free, Forte brought his knee up sharply to Rock's chest, forcing a pained cry from the smaller bioroid. He laughed madly, reveling in the pain he brought upon his rival.

Rock grabbed Forte's wrist which held his hand swiftly, and used his hold to toss Forte through the air, gripping his chest and panting softly. As quickly as he could manage, he charged his buster again, and fired at Forte while he was unprepared. It caught Forte's left shoulder guard, shattering it upon contact, leaving Forte undamaged, and fuming.

Glaring hatefully at Rock, he began to charge his own buster. With an unholy war cry, Forte charged head on at Rock, letting loose an array of shots. 

Rock dodged as many as he could, a few hitting him in the stomach, chest, and legs, but none were powerful enough to do any real damage. That was when he realized his mistake. He had been so focused on dodging Forte's wild shots, that he hadn't been watching Forte himself closely enough. He had just enough time to cross his arms in front of his face before Forte hit him, with the force of a small explosion. 

He was thrown back, Forte on top, tackling him, hands locked firmly around his throat. Rock gasped heavily for air, kicking and beating heavily on Forte's well armored chest, denting it in places, but doing little damage otherwise. 

Forte held firm to his grip, however, and soon things began to get fuzzy. 

_'He's going to kill me... With his bare hands. After all these years of fighting, struggling to protect everyone.... This is how I'll die?'_ He frowned deeply. No. He wouldn't allow himself to die, not this way. There was still so much to do. He had friends and family to worry about. With an enraged scream, he threw Forte off him, lunging onto him, reversing their situation. He held the half mad Forte down, hands at his throat. 

............. 

Forte stared back up at him, fearlessly, but something was wrong. He wasn't fighting him. 

_'I want to save you... Why won't you let me?'_

His hands never squeezed. 

Slowly, they slid away from Forte's unprotected neck, coming to rest on his shoulders gently. Bending down slowly, Rock did something he had wanted to do for awhile. 

He kissed him. 

He kissed Forte. 

It felt good. 

Forte lay, sprawled on his back, a confused look on his face, and a warm set of lips over his. _'What's he doing?!!' _One second, they had been fighting to the death, when suddenly.. He struggled, to break free from the soft welcoming kiss, despite Rock's hand's protests. Rock grabbed at his chest-plate pleadingly, begging for his lips to remain planted where they were, but Forte pulled away quickly, staring down at him, shocked.

Rock was staring back up at him, eyes heavy with emotion, and misted over with tears. "Why...?" He whispered softly, a few tears spilling down his cheeks.

Before logic or any other thought could touch Forte, he had grabbed Rock around the waist and jerked him down toward him, stroking his lip. Using little force, he pulled Rock's lower jaw down and filled the open mouth with his tongue, striking out against Rock's own tongue as his lips enveloped Rock's. _'Don't think..'_

Now it was Rock's turn to be shocked, unsure of what Forte was up to. His _**tongue**_ was in his mouth. It was an exciting feeling that sent shivers through Rock. Slowly, he began to follow in suit, sliding his tongue deep into Forte's own mouth, exploring it's interior slowly. It was an electric, exciting feeling.

Forte said nothing, recalling his armor, and stretching himself tight against the armored Rock, grinding heavily against him, forcing a weak moan out of him.

Rock gasped, calling in his own armor, and stared up at Forte, nude and mere inches from him. "F-Forte... I don't really..." Forte's lips captured Rock's again, before he could inform Forte he didn't know what to do. Rock closed his eyes, kissing him again, and allowed Forte to decide what to do, and how to do it.

Forte grinned slightly. Rock had decided to be submissive about the whole ordeal, and lay with his eyes closed, expecting more kisses. Simple kisses, heh. He had _**much**_ more in plan for the smaller bioroid than that. 

He pulled away from the kiss abruptly, and slowly began to trail his tongue across Rock's face. He paused at his ear, breathing gently as he stared down at Rock, who almost whimpered in anticipation, feeling Forte's sweet hot breath touching it. He ran his tongue gently down the edge of the lobe, receiving a small shudder from Rock. His lips pulled at the ear softly, and he nibbled it. 

"... mmm..." Rock squirmed slightly, and Forte smirked slightly, feeling Rock begin to grow against his stomach. "W-wait! He exclaimed, trying to squirm free, his face bright with embarrassment. 

Forte kept him pinned back, however, refusing to get off him. If he moved now, Rock would never let him have him. It was now or never. Rolling him over gently, he took him, trying his best not to hurt the smaller being, especially since it was obviously his first time, whispering comforting words into his ear softly as Rock wept silently. 

"I know.. It won't hurt for long.." He soothed. Small gasps, some of pain, some in pleasure, were his response, Rock reaching over for one of Forte's hands, cautiously, hugging it close.

It wasn't long before he stiffened, moaning weakly, then collapsed over Rock, gently, spent. Rock, in the meantime, lay quietly on his stomach, cheeks flushed, every bit as spent as Forte. 

Finally, Forte rolled off Rock, settling next to him gently and kissed him, leisurely and slowly, his passion run dry. He rested his chin on his forehead, staring on at Gospel, who lay stretched out by the fire, keeping guard. He sighed slightly. _'Gospel...'_ Closing his eyes, he shook his head slightly. No turning back now.

He started slightly, Rock's hands stroking his back soothingly. "... It's okay, Forte." He whispered softly, kissing his throat gently. "It'll be fine."

Forte stared on, rubbing Rock's back gently. _'It's not okay... Something... Something is wrong with me. I shouldn't have these feelings. They shouldn't be so strong. Something's wrong with that chip.'_

He'd never realized just how little free will he'd truly had. 

He spent the rest of the night that way, stroking Rock's back while he slept. 

Next chapter: **Fin**. 


	8. Fin

A/N- Was last chapter a flop or what? LoL.. It was like, suddenly, everyone stopped reviewing. @.@;;;; Did it seriously suck or something? I can't know without feedback. ah well. In any case, last chapter, tho I left things open, in case I want to do a sequel sometime.. *Pfft* Honestly, I don't like this fic. x_X;;; Anyway, I have a few short cutesy X and Zero fics in mind. Anyone want to see them? R&R, guys, positive or negative. And thanks for reading. How the hell you guys managed to sit through so many chapters of crap is beyond me. You have my respect. lol. 

_**Fin**_

The sun rose. As it always does. Damned sun. Rock pressed closer to Forte, kissing his collarbone gently, a blush finding it's way to his cheeks. Out in the sunlight, in a clearing deep within a forest he didn't know, he was suddenly and painfully aware of his nakedness. How Forte had managed to walk about freely as such for so long was beyond his comprehension. Slowly, he pulled away from Forte's still form, taking a step back and pulling on his shorts and t-shirt he had been wearing before his armor. 

He settled back down next to Forte, rubbing his shoulder gently as he slept._ 'So beautiful.. And wild.' _he thought, toying with a wisp of lavender hair. Bold Forte, who had woken him several times during the night for more, pleading, begging, and demanding all at once with those lusting eyes... 

_'What now?'_ He thought, trailing his lips over one of the violet streaks that marked Forte's cheeks, kissing it softly. It's twin rested on the grass, cradling his face. _' Are we friends? ... More? Or bitter rivals who just lost control...?'_ He hugged him shakily, trying to avoid that train of thoughts. _'Forte's right. Don't think about it.'_

A strong hand stroked his face gently, and the hug was returned. "... rock..." 

He looked up, into Forte's icy gaze, and smiled slightly. ".. Morning, Forte." He sighed sweetly. 

Forte stared back at Rock, a sleepy smile slowly finding itself through that cold steely look. 

Silence passed between them, as Rock pondered over whether or not to ask Forte what was on his mind. If he said no... If he... "Forte, I... uh..." He took a deep breath. "Can we talk?" He whispered. 

Forte nodded slightly, stroking his bangs gently. " I guess." 

He closed his eyes, bracing himself. "Do you love me?" He demanded. He opened them slowly, glancing at Forte. He seemed taken aback, and his cheeks set aflame under Rock's scrutinizing stare. 

"Rock... I...." 

Rock blinked. Forte looked so torn. Why was this so hard for him?! He set a hand on Forte's shoulder softly.

"Forte?" He asked, frightened. Forte looked ready to cry, something he'd never done in front of him before. "Forte, what's going-" He was cut off abruptly by Forte's lips, which captured his in a kiss so strong his lips nearly bruised, and his teeth cut into them slightly, leaving a bloody taste in his mouth Forte's tongue quickly washed away. He closed his eyes and mind, accepting the desperate, passionate kiss.

Forte drew back, slightly, stretching over to Rock's ear, and whispered something into it. Rock's eyes widened at it, and filled with tears. Forte's face hardened, and he called on his armor. "Sorry, Rock." He mumbled, taking aim with his buster.

_'He wouldn't.... He **couldn't**!!'_

Four shots, each one meeting their mark with frightening precision. Rock screamed in pain, both arms and legs destroyed, leaving him helpless. "Forte?!"

Forte ignored him, pulling his chest plate off and clamping it down on Rock. "Take care of Gospel. This should allow you to join with him. "  


"_**Forte!!!! Don't!!!"**_ Rock screamed desperately. 

"Relax. Light will repair you. I just need you out of the way." Forte ignored Rock's screams and protests, instead opening his communicator. "Blues. This is Forte. I've just scrapped Rock. You might want to come pick up the pieces." He turned to Rock. "It's all over, Rock. Just one loose end to tie up, and it's all over. You can finally rest." He grinned darkly, teeth bared, and disappeared. 

**_"FORTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_**

Forte walked numbly through Skull Fortress, dead to everything. This was it. Turning sharply down a corridor, he walked into Wily's lab. "It's over, Wily." He growled, coming to stand face to face with him, staring him down. 

Wily blinked wildly at him, surprised. "Forte? You're still alive?" He turned back to his console, typing madly. "You were gone so long I'd figured you'd been destroyed." He pushed the chair back, getting out of it. "There, done! Forte, I've done it! My revenge! Deep beneath this fortress lies my blonde angel of death! Come ..." He trailed off, staring wide eyed down the end of Forte's buster. "What are you doing..?" 

Forte narrowed his eyes, scowling. "I'm ending it. Everything. For Rock..." 

Rock lay limply on his back, waiting. The waiting... It was pure hell. _'Blues...Where are you?!' _He thought desperately. Every minute that passed, the situation grew more bleak and hopeless. Forte. He couldn't lose him. Not now. 

But there was nothing he could do. 

Except wait. 

For what seemed like forever. 

_**"What?!"**_ Wily roared, infuriated. "You little traitor!!!" He backed up slowly, as Forte charged his weapon, backing into his console, feeling around behind him for something on the keypad.

"I'm tired of being your puppet!!!" Forte shouted, pressing his buster into Wily's forehead. "I'm tired of fighting, I'm tired of killing, and I'm _**TIRED. OF. YOU!!!**_" His buster was fully charged now, but he didn't fire it. 

Wily was feeling desperately around behind him, trying to find a small red key in the corner of his console. Damnit! Why had he put it so far back?! How could he, of all people, have been so careless? _'Because you trusted him..'_

"N-now Forte, hold on a minute... You're sick. Your new chip must be broken. Your emotions are out of control. Let me fix you.." He pleaded with the ebony bioroid, all the time trying to find that one key.

"Damnit, I don't need to be fixed!" Forte shouted, closing in the distance between them, eyes burning with that all too familiar hatred. "You damned old man.... You tricked me into thinking I had free will... Control over what I did... I had nothing... _**NOTHING!!!!!!**_" He screamed, enraged. "I don't want to fight anymore! I want to leave, with Rock!! And there's only one way to do that, isn't there?" 

Rock turned his head slowly toward the footsteps he heard, head swimming. He was so dizzy. The pain, the loss of his vital fluids.... His eyes began to go blank, he was going into stasis mode..... **_No!!_** He had to stay focused. He had to get to Forte before-

He stared at Blues' boots quietly. Slowly, he forced himself to glance upward, met by Blues' dark visor. " ... Blues.. Help me up. We've got to..." He shook his head dizzily.

"Don't worry, Rock.. I'm here to take you home." Blues sighed, lifting Rock up carefully.

"... no... no!" Rock forced out, eyes wild. "we've got... to get to wily's lab... forte... he... we've got to get there..." He whispered.

Blues frowned, but nodded slightly, expression unreadable beneath the visor. "Alright."

Wily stared Forte down, finger poised over the red button he'd been searching for. A simple touch of the button, and Forte's main system would shut down- permanently. Every program in his main CPU would be deleted, vital parts would explode. He didn't press it, however. Not yet. "Forte... I'm going to ask you once only. Get on the repair table, so I can fix you."

Forte drew his arm back a little, taking aim. "Like hell I will!" He sighed. He should have known Wily wouldn't give in so easily. "I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to leave!" He stood, arm shaking slightly. Damned programming. Or was it him? _'I can't kill him... He's been like my sick, twisted father..'_ He thought, shaking his head slightly. 

He closed his eyes then opened them again, wildness run out of them. "Damned old man..."

Wily sighed, leaning back, heart strained again. "That's better.." He sighed. "Now, get on the table so-"

"Wily!!!" Blues exclaimed, appearing in a red beam, Rock resting in his arms, eyes clouded over. His eyes enlarged behind his visor, shocked at the sight he was met with. Wily cowering against a huge console, Forte standing before him, ready to take him out. Just what was going on?!

Wily stumbled back, hearing Blues shout his name, and his eyes bulged, as he stumbled, hand pushing the red button he'd kept under his fingers down. "Shit!"

Forte cried out in agony, programs starting to erase, parts blowing, and his charged shot fired, right at Wily. The shot missed him, by inches. He gasped. The shot had missed, but it had frightened him. Badly. The pain in his chest exploded, and he grabbed at it._ ' ... I've still won. I've gotten my revenge.' _ His eyes closed, he slumped to the ground....

And died.

The infamous Dr. Wily, who had, for years, tormented Rock, Dr. Light... the world, died. Not by some apocalyptic force, but a simple heart attack. After all, he was still only human.

Rock stared, horrified, at Wily and Forte, face ashen. He wanted to scream, to cry, anything. But he couldn't. He seemed only capable of staring.

Blues, however, had the sense to bend down, checking Wily's pulse. " .... He's dead." He turned quickly, looking at Forte. "Forte too."

Rock gripped Blues slightly, and let out a choked sob, before his eyes went blank, and he went into temporary shutdown.

Blues sighed, watching Forte still jolt occasionally, as chips and parts of him under his synthetic flesh melted and exploded. He glanced from Forte to Rock and back, then bent down, tearing open Forte's chest cavity, and pulled something out. "... This won't do you any good now.. So I think I'll just borrow it... Sorry." He blinked, noticing something else in his chest cavity. A chip he had never seen before. He snatched it out quickly, seconds before it went, too.

Turning away from the entire mess, he walked a few steps, then teleported away.

_**6 Weeks Later...**_

Rock sat in a computer chair, in Dr. Light's lab, leaning back against the console. Before him, on an examination table, lay one of Dr. Light's latest pet projects. An extremely human looking robot, a foot or so taller than him, which could have passed off as a relative of his, were they human. Light had named him "Ya-something-". He couldn't be bothered to remember. He couldn't be bothered to do much, since Forte had left. With a slight sigh, he looked down at the blank notebook laying in front of him. A gift, from Blues. He had, of course, told Blues everything. 

_"Write it down, Rock. Let it out. You'll be able to clear your mind, and conscience, plus you'll be able to stop worrying. You'll never forget him, no matter what, if it's written down."_

Rock stared at the paper. And stared. What was there to write? Forte was gone. He wasn't coming back. _'I miss you...'_ He thought, sadly. Reaching over to a nearby desk, he grabbed a pen. It seemed a good a place as any to start. With a small sigh, he began to write. 

**_I miss him. Forte. I never thought that our first night together would be our last. But it was. He's gone, for good. We buried him, Blues and myself. We couldn't let him rot in that Robot Museum, with the others. _**

**_I'm jealous of him, knowing it was our only night together, and me oblivious. There was so much more I wanted to tell him... To do. He knew, and I didn't. He never told me. That was unfair of him, but I'll forgive him. I've always forgiven him, even though I haven't always understood him, or his ways._**

**_Because I loved him._**

**_I don't doubt that he loved me too. I know he did. He told me. The last time I saw him, before Wily destroyed him. He kissed me, and whispered in my ear:_**

Rock paused, hesitating. The memories flooded back, almost too much for him. 

_"Write it down, Rock. Let it out."_

He stroked the pen across the page, finishing his entry. Snapping the book shut, he walked over to a nearby capsule, something Light planned on using for that 'reploid' of his. Why he would want to store it away for so long was beyond him, but it didn't matter, not really. He pulled at the cushioning near the feet, pulling it up slightly, and tucked the notebook behind it, carefully. There.

Walking back over to the unactivated robot, he opened up it's chest cavity, staring at it. After a minute or so of careful study, he found what he was looking for. The new robot had been fitted with a memory chip, holding bits and pieces of his and his 'family's' lives. Something for it to remember them, via dreams. He sighed. Doing this could get him in a lot of trouble. Not to mention it really wasn't right. With a shaky hand, he pulled it out, staring at it. 

Then he destroyed it. Steadying his hand slightly, he slipped in a different chip, almost identical in appearance, then closed the chest cavity again.

_'Forte... I may not have understood you, but I won't forget you. You'll never be forgotten. I've seen to that. He'll dream about you, your memories... One day. Maybe he'll understand you._

"Thanks, Blues.." He whispered. Blues had managed to pull free Forte's memory chip before it was destroyed. Along with a different one.. He stared at it silently. Forte's personality chip. Clutching it close, he turned, and exited Light's lab. 

"Gospel... Rush." He whispered, and his now two faithful companions trailed behind him silently as he crept out of the house. Everyone was asleep. He stood in the doorframe of Light's lab, donned in black jeans and a deep blue t-shirt, plus Forte's chest plate, staring out into the night.

He sighed, and Forte's final words came back to him once more. 

**_"Rock... I love you. But sometimes it's just not enough. I'm sorry you couldn't save me."_**

_'Forte.. You were right... Sometimes it just isn't enough. I couldn't save you, my own lover... I don't want to save anyone else... I don't want to be Rockman anymore.' _

Closing his eyes, he stepped out into the night, Gospel and Rush padding behind him.

And with those steps, Rockman died, leaving only Rock.

_**~Fin**_

_by nik_

Previous Chapter: **Rematch**


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